Being ill sucks

Today I have been bed bound because I have caught some monstrous illness, spread by a the heinous creatures of London’s public transport. I have been coughing and spluttering and can barely breathe out of my nose. I have a throbbing headache that is similar to that of two screaming toddlers, each with a drum stick, bashing my brain from either side so it wobbles and shakes. Normal sound filters have gone out the window so every slam, every creak, every voice screams into my ears and makes me want to cry.

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic but I do feel pretty dreadful. I think the main thing that gets me when I feel like this is what exactly do I eat? Surely this is the perfect excuse to go to the shop and buy anything I want because I feel terrible and this is exactly what I deserve, right? So on Sunday evening I popped off to Coop and purchased Doritos, Peperamis, pork scratching’s and a chicken and mushroom pot noodle. I just want to say here that I am bemused, confused and deeply ashamed at the decisions I made that evening. I am going to blame this illness and my delirious state of mind. I actually had no idea what was going on and am not responsible for the unforgivable actions that occurred.

So today I decided to eat food that would make me feel better. To give me some strength to get to the shop, I had some toast, an orange and a banana. I then headed into Crouch End to pick up some veg and protein. Now, for those of you that don’t live in Crouch End (which let’s be honest, is pretty much all of you ha!) there are some amazing fruit and vegetable shops! They sell fresh, local, organic produce at a great price and without all that useless packaging which is doing nothing for our environment (I’ll save that rant for another post ;)) I bought a fistful of plum tomatoes (still on the vine!), some sugar snap peas, red onion, garlic, sweet potatoes, spinach and half a dozen happy, free range eggs (which will undoubtedly be used to make poached eggs.. see previous post). I then went to Coop, Tesco and Waitrose and bought some chicken, yoghurt, cornflakes, pesto and wholemeal pasta (I don’t know why I’m listing my whole shopping list to you – I’m still ill. I’m going to blame it on the illness.)

Anywho, I got home, had a bit of a rest because walking and going to various shops really does take it out of you when you are ill. I then decided to tackle tea (or dinner, whatever).

Now this meal and recipe is pretty simple, superbly tasty and will most likely be going down in Izzee history as my go to what to eat when I’m ill and trying to get better.

So.. to start, get a baking tray form your cupboard. This can be any baking tray, doesn’t need to be your favourite one. Line it with tin foil and place the chicken breasts on top. Bathe them in a smidgen of oil and then season. I normally like to use salt, pepper, chilli and piri piri chicken seasoning – extra spice! Then put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Next! Boil your kettle and fill your favourite saucepan with hot water. This is the pan where the magic will happen so it is important that you use your top pan for this part. Whilst your pasta is cooking, chop up your tomatoes and sugar snap peas. Feel free to add other fruit and veg to the mix – the more the merrier!

Once your pasta is cooked, drain it and put it back into your saucepan. Then add the pesto. Personally, I like using green basil pesto because it is so dreamy. Add the fruit and vegetables and mix well. Then your chicken should be ready! Take it out of the oven and move the breasts onto a chopping board. Cut the chicken into bite size chunks and then add them to the heavenly mix. Season with salt and pepper (and maybe a bit more chilli).

Serve in a beautiful dish with a handful of spinach and a sprinkling of Parmasan.

And there you have it – Chicken and Vegi Pesto Pasta Make Izzee Feel Good

It really worked too. It was simple and easy to make (which is what you need when you feel like your head is about to explode) and really tasty! And to top it off, I have a portion for tea tomorrow too.